Words and pictures from the author of the Elizabeth Goodweather Appalachian Mysteries

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Bear's Bad Hair Day

"Lord, this hot weather's hard on a fat girl!" (Overheard at a local store.)

And if the girl in question is not only big-boned but also covered in a double coat of black fur . . . no matter how often she takes a dip in the creek, she's still going to be pretty miserable.

I began with the clippers, but Bear's coat was so thick and there were areas of matted fine fur that seemed more appropriate for a sheep shearer to deal with. I had set the clipper guard at three-quarters -- wanting to leave Bear some sun protection -- but at that height, the clippers just weren't cutting it.

So over the past three weeks, whenever there was an opportunity, I've been snipping at Bear's dreadlocks and generally lowering the level of her hair to the point that the wimpy little clippers could actually be used.

The picture below is the result of only one of our sessions with the scissors. One could construct a small to medium size dog from that fur -- or maybe just a nice winter jacket for William. In any event, this should provide luxurious nest-lining material for all the birds in the county.

It took three or four scissor sessions before I could finally use the clippers. And when I did, it was still hard to get through that thick fur. Once or twice the guard flew off, resulting in the punk/moth-eaten look you see below.

It looks as if the bad haircut has driven our poor Bear to drink. But I guarantee she feels better.

Oh, he will be thanking you for that! Having two German Shepherds, I feel your pain, Vicki. I put the dog hair from the brushes in a mesh bag and hang it from a tree and the birds pull it out and use it for their nests (I used to just shove handfuls of it into the bushes, but this seems more civilized). Have a great (hairless) day.

I'm saving the cat hair I get when I brush my cats. I know someone who is going to spin it into yarn for me and I'm going to knit myself a scarf. Going to toss in some dryer lint to help. (It has tons of fur in it anyway.) She had a friend who did this with dog fur. Problem with that was, you couldn't get the scarf wet. It smelled like wet dog. :-)

It's kind of unending -- I also did Molly, whose coat is almost as heavy as Bear's. And even the short-haired dos are sloughing off their undercoats. Eddie is shedding and I can get in only a few passes with the brush before he starts to growl.

But, As Pat and Vicki A. and Liz say, Bear Is much happier -- our new summer-weight Bear, we call her.

Susan -- In my last book I kind of hinted at a scarf with cat hair in it -- a devious way of attacking someone with a severe allergy!

Oh Vicki, our Bro needs to be sheared in the worst way. I may have to take him to the groomer, though, as he runs from me when he sees me coming with the clibbers and it's hard to pin him down. He weighs nearly 80 pounds. There's just so darn much of him!

Auntie K -- Bear is such a sweetie and mostly undemanding -- her biggest fault is that she doesn't want to be bathed and has to be dragged to the bathroom and lifted, a foot at a time, into the bathtub. Once there, she's fairly cooperative.

Kay, I can say with authority that the groomers earn whatever you pay them no matter how high.

Looks like you did a good job and Bear looks much more comfortable. I'm still struggling with Ariel and just need to bite the bullet and start scissoring. It isn't going to brush out. I have two sets of clippers boughten over the years and both of them just spaz out in all that undercoat and fur and shut down. I broke down and turned on the air conditioner mid day today. Then I brought the two dogs in and they are sprawled in front of their (individual) fans. I love the over heard comment in the store! ha.Tammy

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Who Am I? What Am I Doing Here?

I'm the author of The Elizabeth Goodweather Full Circle Farm Appalachian Mysteries from Bantam Dell. The series includes SIGNS IN THE BLOOD (LA MONTAGNE DES SECRETS in France), ART'S BLOOD, (LE SECRET DES APPALACHES in France,) OLD WOUNDS,IN A DARK SEASON (Anthony Nominee, Best PBO), and UNDER THE SKIN. There's also THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS (a spinoff/standalone)chronicling the unexpected life story of Miss Birdie, one of Elizabeth's neighbors.
Currently I have just completed a historical novel, dealing with a massacre in my county during the Civil War.
I came to this weird business late (my first novel was published in 2005) and am still trying to figure it out.
As my novels are set in a place much like my real life home, I thought I'd use this blog to share pictures of our farm and county. I've been blogging for nearly nine years now, on an almost daily basis, and the topics have ranged from writing, chickens, food, books, quilts, flora and fauna of all sorts, to the occasional tiny rant. There's no plan, but there are lots of pictures.
There's more information about me and my books on my web site: http://vickilanemysteries.com/